Description
Disneyland’s Peanut Butter Sandwich Bars offer a deliciously chewy and chocolatey dessert packed with creamy peanut butter, oats, and two types of chocolate chips. These bars combine the nostalgic flavors of a classic peanut butter cookie with the convenience of a handheld treat perfect for snacking or sharing. Made with simple pantry ingredients and baked to golden perfection, these bars feature a delightful contrast of textures and a rich peanut butter drizzle for an irresistible finish.
Ingredients
Scale
Base Mixture
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
Chocolate Layer
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
Finishing Touch
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (for drizzle, optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Cream Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, use a mixer to cream together softened butter, creamy peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, ensuring good air incorporation for texture.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture until fully combined, which helps bind the dough and adds flavor.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt to distribute the leavening and seasoning evenly.
- Mix Dry into Wet: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined to avoid overworking the dough and toughening the bars.
- Add Oats: Stir in the rolled oats until they are evenly incorporated, which contributes to the bars’ chewy texture and hearty bite.
- Form Base Layer: Press about two-thirds of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan to create the base layer for the bars.
- Add Chocolate Chips: Sprinkle the semisweet and milk chocolate chips evenly over the pressed dough layer, adding rich chocolate flavor and pockets of gooey sweetness.
- Add Top Crumble Layer: Crumble the remaining dough over the chocolate chip layer and press it lightly to create a textured topping that will bake to a golden finish.
- Bake: Bake the bars in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top turns golden brown and the center is set, indicating the bars are cooked through.
- Cool Completely: Allow the bars to cool fully in the pan on a wire rack; this ensures they firm up for clean slicing.
- Optional Peanut Butter Drizzle: If desired, melt 2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter and drizzle it over the cooled bars for added flavor and decoration before cutting into 16 bars.
Notes
- Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days to maintain freshness.
- For a firmer texture, chill the bars in the refrigerator before slicing.
- You can substitute crunchy peanut butter if you prefer texture variation in the bars.
- Feel free to use parchment paper for easy removal of bars from the pan.
- Make sure not to overmix the dough to keep the bars tender.
